Thursday, September 29, 2011

thriving at three

molly has been testing the waters at three years old!
she's been refusing naps at daycare
generally rude at times (telling me to "go away")

but, then again the next minute she'll be curious, cute, and sweet
i'm praying that all of the goodness of her character overtakes the...not so good

and so we've been talking more and more about Jesus, prayer, and church! (ha!)
when we first arrived back from china over a year ago i knew she wasn't ready to stay in the sunday school class for her age group or the nursery during worship
she just needed time for the 3 A's
adjust, adapt, and attach

by now, she's definitely attached 
and i'm not sure she'll ever detach!

we started back to the church where i had been going pre-china
and i've tried to leave her in her sunday school class
but she screamed and threw a big fit!
i ended up staying with her for one hour
i left for a quick 15 minutes and came back to her moping and wheeping around 
(although not hysterical, but not happy)
when i asked her why she was crying
she said, "i was crying b/c i lost my mommy"
and my heart melted
on monday morning she said...i don't want to go to my new sunday school for big girls today
i just want to go to my "mama maze" school! ha!!
i've been trying to pump her up all week for this sunday again
she is not biting at all
she shakes her head and says she doesn't want to go and wants to stay home!
but, we'll keep trying b/c i know she has to get used to staying with someone besides me and mom
bless her heart...
growing up is hard to do:(
but, if she doesn't catch on after a few weeks
we'll step back and continue to go to church together
(where she just goes and sits with me in worship)
but, i'm not going to give in so quickly 
i'm not too worried about it b/c i know there will be a day all too soon when she will no longer be satisfied with just us
she will have friends, parties, youth groups, vbs, camps, outings, and so much more
these are the simple times
just let me revel in it for a moment:)

Sunday, September 25, 2011

tonight

molly singing her debut song #2
"tonight"

stuck like glue

molly's favorite song
stuck like glue, by sugarland
watch out jennifer nettles!

Yea Sewanee's Right

we had a beautiful autumn weekend in middle Tennessee!
saturday morning we packed up the whole family and headed to sewanee, tn 
to tailgate and watch the  football game with the kids

sewannee is home to the university of the south, which is eddie's alma mater
he was there from 1990-1994 and played football
we enjoyed tailgating and watching him play for 4 years
the memories are definitely a highlight for our whole family
my grandparents, parents, and i would drive down and unpack the most delicious picnic lunches
homemade by my granny:)
we would watch the game and then walk around the campus, visit the guys, and come back home
during that time i was in high school
and immensely enjoyed my weekends decked out in purple (the university color) 
and traveling to meet all of his cute fellow football players see the games
this is a HUGE advantage to having an older brother
who plays football
i had 8 years (4 years of High School and 4 of college)
surrounded by some really cute and nice older guys!
thrill!

but, back to the story...
the university of the south will be at the top of the list every time
literally
Sewanee sits between nashville and chattanooga
on top of a beautiful mountain surrounded by lakes, caves, and gorgeous scenery
all of the buildings have goth-styled architecture
which makes it seem like you have just entered Europe

if you live in the south you need to take a family trip sometime and experience it for yourself
especially in the fall
simply gorgeous!



the kids loved the school mascot, the tiger! 

watching for the football team

as you might guess, the kids didn't stay for much of the game! ha!
mom and i took them for a walk around campus
which made for a very quiet drive home:)


even the newer building have the same feel as the oldest ones








i told the kids this was the castle in beauty and the beast
so when we walked inside they had to tiptoe and be quiet
it worked!




the most famous building on campus is all saints chapel
it is simply gorgeous!







since we were in church, i told them they had to pray:)

the university is episcopal, however our family is southern baptist
so we are not used to kneeling pads in our churches
but, i took them out and showed the kids what they were for
madison, loved it and went back to ask her dad if he prayed when he was in college
i told her i was quite sure he prayed a lot!  ha!!






love this house/building?


all of the students dress up for games
i wish i had taken more pictures of them b/c it is quite a scene
these girls are in simple sun dresses and boots of course
but, some of them really get decked out
the guys are in everything from kilts to shirts & ties
it's quite interesting!

"Yea, Sewanee's Right!" is the school motto and the last line of an old football cheer

Saturday, September 24, 2011

triple threat??

this is molly's bad note from daycare
you know you really have to be "bad" if the daycare owner is your grandmother 
and she's the one telling on you
i hope this is a phase!!
as you can see, ms. molly is trying to be a "triple threat" i suppose in her own way
she is doing all the -it's
hit
bit
spit
not a good combination

i want to sincerley apologize to ethan and watson's mom's who may see this on facebook
she loves your boys, she just doesn't know how to show it yet:)

this kind of behavior has not been something she typically does
but it is something she is capable of
so, i'm trying to pray her out of it
really
(the red writing is just something mom wanted to remember to tell me...we've been visiting my grandma in the nursing home and molly calls it a hospital.  so i guess she correlated hospital to sickness during some conversation.  who knows??)




Monday, September 19, 2011

your birthmother

 i always stop and think of your birth mother around your birthday
i know she must be thinking of you too
three years ago she made a heart wrenching decision
one i can't understand
but, i am so thankful for
her heartbreak brought my heart great joy
and i hope and pray she feels some kind of peace today
it's a strange place to feel like you are eternally in debt to someone you've never met and will never meet
part of me wants to hug her, invite her over for sweet tea, and tell her about how great you are
and the bigger part of me is so grateful for the ocean that separates us
and so, i will just pray for her
and raise you with a strong sense of self
to teach you the unconditional love of Jesus
and i know you will grow up to do remarkable things in your life
you will live a life she would be proud of
and i'm already proud of
now at 3 years old
36 months of life
you have been with me longer than you were in the orphanage
and, i am thankful for that huge milestone
that you've known my touch longer than the months of loneliness
that you've known my voice longer than the silence 

you've known our family longer than your crib mates
and now, you know you are loved
abundantly loved
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